“Any time, Av. While they’re occupied, is there anything you want to talk about? Anything new?”
“Nope. Most of the paperwork has been processed. I still have to figure out what to do with the house and being here and so many things, but I’m loving our bubble of you, me, Max, and the kids. It makes me forget about the world I left behind. I’m grateful we’d already decided that I would take the school year off when Elise was born so I didn’t have to find a new job immediately and we had the funds to do that.”
“It’s a pretty fun bubble, Av. We’ll figure out everything else later. I’ll be here as long as you need me.”
“Thanks, Gabi,” Ava said, squeezing Gabi’s hand back. “I don’t know what I would do without you.”
“Well, you’ll never have to find out,” Gabi said.
“Why are there two crazy kids running around some sort of maze in my living room?” Max asked.
Gabi yelped. “Holy crap, don’t sneak up on us.”
“You need a bell,” Ava said.
Gabi burst out laughing.
“What?” Ava asked.
“Max said his teammates keep telling him that.”
“I’m stealthy,” Max said, snagging half of a grilled cheese Gabi had just put out.
“No. You just like sneaking up on people,” Gabi said.
“Ooh. Hot,” Max said, biting into the cheesy bread.
“Well, it just came off the griddle. Maybe wait a second.”
“So bossy, Gabster.”
“So annoying, Max.”
Ava tilted her head and watched them with a funny smile on her face.
“What?” Gabi asked.
“Oh, nothing. Hey, kids, want to eat?” Ava called out.
Had they been too obvious?